For a Few Pounds More
by Emerald-Shadow-Knight
Summary: When you look in the mirror, who looks back, can you guess? Is it someone to be admired, or is it someone...less? Warning: Eating disorders.
1. Animal I Have Become

Warning: The subject matter dealt with in this story may be triggering to some readers.

Disclaimer: I do not own Sims 3: Ambitions.

* * *

"Daddy!" Lolly ran through the hallways of Racket Mansion, holding what once was her long, styled hair. "Shark cut the hair off my dolls, and now he's trying to do the same thing to me!"

"But your hair will grow back, right?! What's the big deal?!" Her brother closely followed her, holding a pair of scissors and laughing. "Come on! Don't you wanna be pretty, Sis?"

"Get away from me, you jerk! Daddy!" Lolly didn't get much farther, being that Shark managed to tackle her and continue what he was doing earlier.

"Don't worry! You're gonna look super pretty! Then maybe guys will actually want to talk to you!" Shark sat on top of her, ignoring her constant flailing and attempts to break free.

"Get off me, fatso!" Lolly blurted out. Shark was halfway through chopping off another chunk of hair when he stopped.

"I am not fat! Muscle weighs more than fat!"

"That's a myth, you numbskull! Now get your fat ass off of me!" The younger sibling managed to turn around and kick her brother off. Shark fell backwards and landed on the floor, his scissors flying off in the other direction.

"Fatty, fatty, two by four! Can't fit through the bathroom door!" Lolly stood up and taunted Shark, as he struggled to get to his feet.

"Shut up! I am not!" The boy tried to cover his ears, but that served only to make Lolly shout louder.

"You're so fat, I bet you're gonna break the floor if you keep landing like that!" At this point, Shark ran back upstairs, escaping his sister's insults.

...

Shark ran into the nearest bedroom and closed the door. He looked into the mirror to get a good look at himself. Just as he thought, Lolly was talking out of her ass. He looked fine. He wasn't fat, he was quite in shape.

Or was he? He looked closer, and saw his usual muscles looked to be a little flabby. He leaned in and flexed his arm. To his horror, it didn't look as pronounced as it used to. He lifted his shirt up. His stomach told the same story that his arm did.

He couldn't believe it. He admittedly hadn't had time to hit the gym, but it couldn't possibly cause this much damage. He hated to admit it, but maybe Lolly was right. Maybe he was starting to put on weight. With that, Shark sat down onto the bed and made a note to himself.

The next chance he got, he was going to catch up on his exercise regimen. Then maybe Lolly would think twice before jeering.

* * *

Again, if the future subject is triggering to readers, don't read this.

-Emerald-Shadow-Knight


	2. I Hate Everything About You

I took a guess on Shark's weight. Mainly, I went with what I thought would work.

Disclaimer: Sims 3 belongs to EA and Maxis.

* * *

The next day was a school day for the Racket teens. Shark was trying to avoid Lolly at all costs. He even woke up early before her to get ready quicker. He was trying not to let her words from yesterday bother him. He wasn't sure if she said them out of anger, but they did bear some kind of truth to them.

He looked over at the scale in the bathroom. He didn't really check how much he weighed yesterday. The teen had time before school to do so, though. Stripping down to his shorts, Shark stepped onto the scale.

The results shocked him. Apparently, not working out for a few days meant one would gain quite a few pounds. At last check, he went from 150 to 165 Perhaps eating a little more junk food than usual also contributed to the problem.

Shark just couldn't believe it. The scale had to be lying to him. No one gained weight that quickly, right? Apparently, he could. It took all his effort not to shout out in frustration and confusion. Not wanting to look at the number anymore, Shark stepped off and put his clothes back on.

"Come on, loser!" He heard Lolly banging on the bathroom door. "I gotta take a shower!" Shark scowled at hearing her voice. He made sure nothing was out of place, then ran out of the bathroom.

...

The class dragged on. Miss Drill was not a bad teacher, but she simply needed a more efficient method of doing her job. Shark tried to stay awake, and occupied himself by doodling on his paper.

After at least fifteen more minutes, the lunch bell rang.

"Oh! And remember, class! Next week Thursday, we'll be taking our field trip to the Bistro. Keep that in mind!" Miss Drill said as the students walked out of the room and towards the cafeteria.

Most of the tables were full by the time Shark got in there. He stood in line, grabbing his tray and looking over his choices. He remembered Lolly's remarks echoing in his head, and tried changing his usual choices.

Instead of chocolate pudding like he always liked to get, the boy opted for a fruit cup. He earned a puzzled look from the lunch person as he got his main meal. Clearly the break in routine was more noticeable than usual. Shark merely shrugged, not knowing what to say.

Lolly was already seated and devouring her lunch by the time Shark found a spot. He sat with his back to her, hoping she didn't see him. Slowly, he took a bite of what he presumed to be some kind of meat.

He wasn't very fond of it, as expected. After only three or four more bites, Shark pushed the tray away and started on his fruit. The boy wasn't one to partake in pineapple, but he didn't mind it.

After getting halfway into his fruit, Shark felt a sharp smack upside his head. The impact was so sudden, he nearly dropped what he was holding. He looked back to see Lolly walking towards the tray section.

"That's for cutting my hair, asshole!" It was likely the students still in the cafeteria heard her. Shark merely bit his lip and continued eating.

He made a note to put an ice pack on the back of his head later.

* * *

I'm hoping to continue Eighteen Candles and Every Cloud Has A Silver Lining alongside this.

-Emerald-Shadow-Knight


	3. The High Road

Disclaimer: I do not own the Sims 3 franchise.

* * *

That night, Shark snuck down into the kitchen as quietly as he could. The house was dark, and he didn't want to risk bumping into anything. His grandma had exceptional hearing for a woman her age.

Shark had to remember where the doorways where. After a few moments of fumbling around in darkness, he managed to find the fridge. The bright light damn near blinded him. The boy squinted to get a better look at the contents.

There was the usual that could be expected for his family: A party platter, some ingredients to make baked goods with, a foot-long sub sandwich that Bill never finished. He then looked downward, towards two separate drawers that had his and Lolly's names on them.

Lolly had complained that her treats were always mingling with his, so this system was created. It certainly made things easier. Shark opened his drawer, and looked through what he had stored.

He took one of the cans of pop out, and looked at the label. Seeing the amount of sugar it was loaded with horrified him. No doubt this was part of the reason he'd put on weight.

Cringing, Shark got a hold of all the cans in the drawer. Finding the sink, he opened each one and poured the liquid down the drain. He wanted desperately to stop and chug just one of them. But he didn't want to give into temptation, either. It was for the best.

Maybe after he lost some weight, he'd reward himself with one again.

...

It'd been longer than Shark cared to admit that he'd been to the gym. He had to remember where the treadmills and other equipment was. Twinbrook's gym was weird like that.

After changing in the men's locker room, Shark went downstairs to where everything was, seeing a pair of very familiar blue-tipped pigtails working out to some exercise video.

"Oh hey, Amy!" Amy stopped and turned to look over at him. She smiled as soon as she realized who it was.

"Hi, Shark! How's it been?" She then tried to talk while working out.

"Eh, gotta get back in the shape of things." Shark then stepped onto the nearest treadmill, not wanting to tell her the real reason. "How've you been?"

Amy looked over at him. "Work stinks. It's like the more clothes I deal with, the more that show up." The young woman chuckled, as if she just told an amazing joke. "It's endless."

"Sounds like it." After a few moments of focusing on his exercise, he had to ask. "Hey, you got any job openings where you work?"

"Um..." Amy seemed to be at a loss for an answer. "I'd have to check. Why, you need to make some money?"

"Yeah, pretty much. Figured it'd be a good idea to make my own cash." He was about to continue the conversation when he heard a phone go off. Amy stopped her routine and stumbled over to her bag. She pulled out her cell phone and checked her messages.

"Oh, jeez. Again?" Amy put her phone back, then sighed. "I gotta go. A friend of mine got into something he shouldn't have. See you around town, Shark!"

He watched as she packed up her things, and waved a goodbye to him, which was returned. After she left, Shark put the settings on the treadmill up to something higher than usual.

The boy intended to lose the extra pounds as quickly as possible.

...

Shark got home just as his father was leaving for work. He had no idea what Dennis did for a living, but it interested him. He knew it brought in the money, at least.

But Shark knew that he wouldn't be able to do that until he graduated. For now, he was scraping for some other kind of job. Trying to keep his mind off the future, he made his way upstairs to start on his homework.

"I'm real sorry to bother you about this, Uncle Bill," he heard Lolly say in one of the bedrooms, "Are you sure your girlfriend won't mind? I know she uses this hat for work, but..." Shark quickly walked away before hearing Bill's response.

When he got into a room with a computer, Shark found it hard to focus. Instead of working on long division, he was letting his mind drift to his newer regimen. After putting a few half-assed answers to some of the problems, the boy set it aside and turned the computer on.

Being an older model, it took a while to start up. Slowly, Shark got onto the Internet and looked up sites on health. Normally, his search history was full of sports websites and image searches of vintage cars, but for once it was something different.

Seeing the lists of what foods were healthy and not, Shark realized that most of what he liked were full of processed sugars and other nasty-sounding things. That was enough to put off snacks he often got from the store.

After printing off a list, Shark set it aside and returned to his work.

...

"It's gotta be done, like it or not..." Shark looked into the trash bag filled with what was once his beloved snacks. He made a note to buy more healthful treats, the next time he managed to get some money.

"What's good for working out, vitamin water?" The boy stood next to the trash can, deep in thought. He was thankful that his father wasn't home. Dennis would have pitched a a fit at the unsatisfactory method of garbage disposal.

"And, uh...Damn, what vegetables actually taste good?" The teen was scratching his head the whole way back inside. Getting back into the swing of things was going to be harder than he thought.

* * *

My update schedule is weird. Hence, these updates are close to each other now, but I may go a long time without updates afterward.

-Emerald-Shadow-Knight


	4. Life Starts Now

Disclaimer: I do not own the Sims 3 franchise. I got most of the stuff for it, but that's about it.

* * *

It'd been about a week since Shark had started up his new regimen. To his delight, he'd already dropped about two pounds. That was enough to get him to clap like a happy little monkey.

Of course, he was nowhere near his target weight, even after cutting out all the junk food. Then Shark remembered he did slip up once or twice during that week. He sighed, internally kicking himself for being weak.

Grabbing his school bag and making sure he had, Shark put his shoes on and got ready for school.

...

Having gym class was always unnerving, especially for Shark. It was one thing showering at home, where the risk of being walked in on was high. It was another thing entirely to be with others while doing it.

"Man, the teacher's a hard-ass," he heard one of the other boys say. "I hate track."

"Dude, come on," another said, "It's not so bad. You think it sucks now, wait til Track and Field Day at the end of the year." Shark didn't mind their small talk, just like he didn't mind the exercise gym class delivered.

What he did mind was how perfect the other boys appeared to look. Normally, Shark wasn't one to be self-conscious. If anything, he was usually the epitome of confidence.

But lately, he'd been worried that he was going to turn soft and flabby. The pounds he'd been trying to work off appeared to be a growing testament to that.

He also didn't want to look at them too long, out of jealousy. Biting his lip, Shark turned around and resumed showering, averting his gaze.

...

To Shark's horror, there was pop in the fridge after he got home from school. Right away, the urge to grab one and chug came back. He assumed one of his relatives went to the store and bought some.

Reluctantly, Shark reached out and grabbed one, only to have it yanked out of his hand, followed by someone saying "Yoink!" By the time the boy looked up out of the fridge, he saw Lolly walking away.

Seeing her home as well irritated Shark. On the other hand, at least he didn't have to worry about drinking that pop. In the end, he settled for a glass of milk.

"Hey, loser!" Lolly asked as Shark started upstairs. "What were the problems we were assigned in math? I forgot." But Shark ignored her, and made his way into the nearest bathroom on the second floor.

Stepping onto the scale, the boy's reaction was mixed. On the one hand, he was relieved that he hadn't gained anything. On the other hand, he was upset that he hadn't lost anything, either.

"Did I slip up at all?" Shark looked over himself, pinching and squeezing. Finding nothing out of sorts, he decided he simply needed to step things up. Instead of one hour of exercise, he'd try two.

Taking the idea into consideration, Shark stepped off the scale and went off to do his homework, sipping at his milk the whole way.

* * *

This is a shortened chapter, simply because I couldn't think of anything else to put in it.

-Emerald-Shadow-Knight


	5. Painkiller

Disclaimer: Hey. Guess.

* * *

"All right class," Miss Drill said while the bus was moving, "I want you all to be on your best behavior today. No horsing around or disrupting the workers when we get there. Do I make myself clear?"

The students all gave signs of agreement. Shark was looked out the window when the teacher addressed him.

"And Mister Racket," she said, causing him to look back at her, "Make sure this time you and your sister don't get into a fight, okay?" Shark's face turned red, and nodded while listening to the other kids snickering.

He didn't look behind him, but he could also feel Lolly's eyes boring holes in the back of his head.

...

The Bistro was half-full when the class arrived. Shark looked around for any familiar faces. As Miss Drill spoke with the person in charge, the kids all gathered to get their plates and headed to the buffet table.

Shark was taken aback at how delicious everything looked. He was also fearful of how fattening everything appeared to be. Trying to look around for healthier alternatives, the boy reached for a bowl of salad.

He and the others were then interrupted by a loud shout coming from the kitchen.

"What the fuck do you mean, 'undercooked'?!" Nearly the entire restaurant stopped and looked at the direction of the voice. "Like I care how you want your damn pork chops done! I'm only here because it was either this or prison time!"

A couple of the patrons quietly resumed eating their dinners, as a redheaded young man stomped out of the kitchen and toward the bathrooms. Everyone else waited until they heard a door slam, then went about what they were doing.

The rest of the class had already started eating by the time Shark sat down. To be honest, he wasn't too hungry, and instead absent-mindedly picked at his salad. He took a bite here and there, but otherwise he wasn't too into it.

Shark was about to try some fruit he got, when he felt something hit him in the eye. Hearing the giggling from the girls shortly after, he put two and two together and knew who it was.

But instead of pitching a fit about it, Shark simply wiped the mess off, and continued eating. He knew Miss Drill was watching him like a hawk. Slowly, but surely, he managed to finish everything on his plate.

"If you kids are still hungry," Miss Drill said, "you can always go back up for seconds. We don't need to be back at the school until two." As she said those words, Shark felt what he'd already eaten practically go down his throat.

The meager portions seemed to form a weight in his stomach. Shark bit his nails, and quietly excused himself to go to the bathroom.

...

As soon as Shark entered the men's room, he was hit with the smell of tobacco. The worker that had thrown a fit earlier was still there, smoking a cigarette with his back turned to him.

Quietly, Shark snuck into the nearest stall, feeling his meal beginning to rise up inside his throat. Against his better judgment, Shark jammed his fingers into his mouth, and felt it come up in a sickening torrent.

His face ended up hovering over the toilet bowl as he emptied the contents of his stomach. He clutched the sides of the bowl in an effort to steady himself. The boy had just finished throwing up when he heard a thudding sound on the stall door.

"I ain't paying your hospital bill, man," the worker's rough voice said angrily. Shark stopped himself from vomiting and forced himself to look up.

"I didn't...I had the buffet, not whatever was causing the problem." It was silent on the other side of the door for a few moments.

"Oh...Well, carry on, then." Shark waited until he heard footsteps and a door slam, then finished with another round of vomiting. Making sure he didn't have any residue left over, the teen wiped his face and cleaned out any vomit in his hair.

...

"Miss Drill?" Shark said as he approached his teacher back out in the dining area. "What time did you say we were going to leave?" The rest of the class had already started on their second helpings from the buffet table.

She looked up from her own plate, concerned. "We're leaving at two. Why, you don't feel well?" Shark answered in the negative. "Well, it won't be long before then. You go ahead and sit on the bus if you need to."

"Thanks, Miss Drill," Shark said as he turned to do what she recommended. He didn't notice any of his classmates' reactions.

Instead of sitting in the seat he had when they got here, Shark opted to sit in the back. He looked out the window, watching the angry worker from earlier get into a black truck and speed off.

Deciding that there would be nothing worth watching outside, Shark flopped back down onto the seat. He contemplated what he had done earlier. Never in his life had he actually thrown up for reasons besides illness.

Though he felt ashamed for resorting to it, he had to admit, it felt good in a strange way. Perhaps if he ate something he shouldn't have, it was a way to clean out his system.

Given the nature of it, however, it was something best done in secret. Shark made a mental note to remember that when he weighed himself tonight.

* * *

I may write more in the coming days, given I'm in a more artistic (read: horrid) mood lately.

-Emerald-Shadow-Knight


	6. Misery Loves My Company

Disclaimer: Sims 3 is not mine (not the franchise, anyway)

* * *

That night, Shark lay in bed, thinking about what happened at the Bistro. He tried to sleep, but all he could think about was that. Well, that and food in general.

As much as Shark thought throwing up was a way to get rid of unwanted calories, he knew there was another way. Instead of throwing up the nastiness, he could simply not consume them at all. Even treats would be out of the question.

Before he closed his eyes and tried to sleep, Shark remembered he forgot to weigh himself. Quietly, so as not to wake Lolly, the boy got out of bed and looked for the bathroom with the scale in it.

Downstairs, on the first floor, he could hear the front door open and close. Looking around, Shark saw the clock read 2:30 A.M. This certainly was around the time his father got home. Picking the scale up with him, Shark went downstairs.

"Dad?" The boy whispered as he saw his father in the kitchen. Dennis looked over to see who else was awake at this unearthly hour. In his hand was a bag containing purchases from the grocery store.

_So that's where it's been coming from, _Shark thought as he got closer. _  
_

"What are you doing up, boy?" Dennis said somewhat tersely, seeing his son standing there in his pajama pants. "Thought you were Bill, or something."

"Sorry." Shark held the scale out towards his father. "I couldn't sleep, and...Can you see if this is broken?"

...

Lunchtime at school had taken on a whole new feeling. Namely, one that Shark intended to avoid. Instead of following his classmates to the cafeteria, he ended up wandering into the library.

Normally, Shark wouldn't be caught dead in a place like this. It was quiet, the place had that old book smell, and the computers looked slightly outdated. He looked in the nearest aisle that looked interesting.

Oddly, Twinbrook was the sort of town that considered comic books educational reading. After picking out a couple of anthology books that looked interesting, Shark took them up to the main counter.

"I, uh...I don't need a card if they're from the school library, right?" Instead of the usual librarian on duty, a male voice spoke up.

"Hell if I know. I'm only here until I get the cops off my ass." Shark looked up and saw the same redhead from the other day sitting in front of him, chewing on something and squeezing a stress ball.

"Well...Can I check these out anyway?" The redhead shrugged, and scanned the books for him. With that, Shark was on his way, but not before he heard the man talking.

"This is boring as hell...Fucking community service." Shark ignored him, and left to find a quiet hallway to read. Getting into the first book helped get his mind off his growling stomach.

...

After a few weeks worth of his regimen, Shark had done it! He'd achieved his goal. All the pounds he'd been hoping to lose were now gone. He silently congratulated himself on a job well done.

After looking at the scale, however, Shark decided that perhaps he could lose a few more pounds. After all, he didn't want to gain it all back so quickly, if at all.

Dennis had been a little irked earlier to find nothing wrong with the bathroom scale. Then again, Shark likely only said that to make small talk with his father. He knew the scale was fine.

Stepping off of it, Shark put his pants back on and started getting ready for bed. On the way, though, he couldn't help but notice he was a little out of breath. Thinking nothing of it, the teen made his way to his room.

...

"All right, class," Miss Drill said as she began to write on the board. "Track and Field Day will be here in a few weeks, and practice will start next Monday. So make sure you're prepared."

Right as she finished writing the practice schedule, the bell rang. The students got up to go, when Shark heard the teacher call his name. Waiting until everyone else left, he approached her, biting his lip.

"Yeah? Am I in trouble, Miss Drill?" She shook her head, but Shark wasn't entirely convinced. She pulled out a folder containing several small papers.

"Shark, the workers in the cafeteria have noticed you've not eating lunch lately. Why is that?" Miss Drill pulled out a sheet with a list of numbers. Most of them were several deductions before abruptly stopping. "You're definitely not having financial problems. Your sister's been paying for her lunch as usual. But you're not. What's going on?"

Miss Drill's concerned expression was making Shark nervous. He scratched the back of his head and tried to think up something that sounded convincing.

"Eh...I just don't like the options. They all taste like crap to me." Shark actually felt bad to have to lie to someone, especially to a teacher. He looked out the classroom window, and saw Lolly walking by with Amy. Both of them were talking loud enough that he could hear them through the glass.

"Are you sure?" Shark nodded. "Well, all right. As long as nothing is going wrong. But remember, Shark," Miss Drill said as she put the file back, "it's important you eat properly. The school provides those lunches for a reason, you know."

"Yeah, I know. I'll keep that in mind, Miss Drill." With that, Shark was dismissed. As soon as he was a fair distance away from the room, he breathed a sigh of relief.

The last thing he wanted was to have his plans derailed.

* * *

I'm not sure where I'm going with all this. Expect some time skips.

-Emerald-Shadow-Knight


	7. World So Cold

Is anyone still getting Sims 4? Even after the whole "no pools or toddlers" thing?

Disclaimer: EA and Maxis own Sims 3.

* * *

Lately, Shark had been noticing something...strange. The good news was that he was losing weight on schedule. The bad news was that he was losing his muscle as well.

But then again, muscle weighed more than fat. No matter what anyone said, Shark was sticking to that. Not eating seemed to help. Shark figured that he could always just get his muscle back through weightlifting.

Three weeks had passed since Miss Drill had confronted him. He knew his gradually changing appearance didn't go unnoticed. She knew he wasn't going to talk about it, however.

Trying to get his backpack on, Shark found himself struggling to even lift it. Normally, it would have been easy. He simply attributed it to more homework than usual, though.

...

"All right, class," the gym teacher said, as she looked over the six students in front of her. "Today we're going to run the track. You're going to be timed by how quickly you can make it around the track. And I know some of you," she said while looking directly at Shark, "will likely have more luck than others in getting done faster."

"First up are the girls. Bayless, Greenwood, Racket. Get into position." Shark tried keeping himself awake as he watched his sister and two other girls begin to make their way across the track. He could hear the shouting and cheering from his classmates.

While he could hear them loud and clear at first, Shark began to feel woozy. His vision started to blur, and he had to force himself to keep his head up watching. The time before the last girl finished seemed like an eternity.

"All right, good job, girls! Now the boys. Baker, Castor, Racket. Into position." Carefully, Shark and the other two boys took their places on the track. They hadn't even begun, and already Shark was feeling light-headed.

"Ready? Set? Go!" The three were off. Oddly, he wasn't going as fast as he usually could. He used to be able to get a lap done by now, no problem. Now, he was struggling to even keep up with the other two.

Shark could hear himself breathing heavily. His heart was pounding harder than usual. Not realizing where his feet were ending up, Shark ended up tripping over his feet and landing on the ground.

Landing on the gravel was sheer agony, especially for him. He felt himself blacking out just as the others came to see what was wrong.

...

"Shark? Shark, can you hear me?" The boy opened his eyes, nearly blinded by the sudden light. He heard a familiar voice, and turned to look over at a familiar pair of pigtails.

"Amy? Where am I?" The room didn't look familiar in the least. It looked bland, and smelled like disinfectant. "What happened?" Further inspection revealed he was hooked up to several machines, one of which had breathing tubes in his nose. Instead of his gym outfit, he was now wearing a hospital gown.

"Your coach said you passed out on the running track." Amy looked him over. "Your parents didn't pick up, and I guess I was listed as an emergency contact, so here I am."

"Does this count toward my community service?" The two looked over at the window, revealing the redheaded man Shark had been seeing a lot as of late.

Amy shook her head in frustration. "Can you shut up about that for one day, Sinbad? A friend of mine is here, and that's all you care about?" Sinbad raised his hands in some kind of surrender. She then turned to look back at Shark.

"Shark, your teachers have been noticing something about you lately. When was..." Amy bit her lip and looked over at her other friend. "Sinbad, where was I going with this?"

"When's the last time you ate, man?" Shark felt his cheeks burn with embarrassment at the question. He hadn't really been paying attention, mostly because he wasn't really eating.

"Uh...This morning?" Sinbad's seemingly apathetic expression abruptly turned into one of anger.

"Don't fuckin' lie, man! You think I'm an idiot? You look like a fuckin' scarecrow with the stuffing ripped out of it! One thing I hate is being lied to, and-"

"Sinbad!" At this point, Amy yelled over the growing tirade, silencing him. She then turned her attention back to the bedridden teen. "He's right, though. You don't look well." She reached out to touch his hair, but Shark pushed her hand away.

"Well, I feel fine!" Shark was irritated that they were practically accusing him of starving himself. He sat up and tried to remove the tubes inside him. "You don't need to worry. I had to lose some weight anyway."

Amy cringed. "Says who?" Shark crossed his arms and pouted.

"Says Lolly! She said that I was going to break a hole into the floor at the weight I'd been at. Well, now I did! So she can stop saying those kinds of things now."

When he was done talking, Amy wrapped her arms around him. She trembled, not believing what she'd just heard. "You...You've been starving yourself, all because of something your sister said? That's just..."

"That's the stupidest fucking thing I've ever heard," Sinbad said, completing her sentence. "How the hell does someone looking like you still manage to be alive?"

"I..." Shark grit his teeth in anger. "You don't even know me! Stop yelling at me!"

"He still has a point, Shark." Amy tried to comfort the boy in bed. "This...What you're doing counts as killing yourself. This needs to stop, or else you're going to die. You don't want that to happen, do you?"

Shark didn't respond. He simply stared down at the floor until the other two left the room.

...

That night, Shark was kept awake by the events of that day.

Amy and Sinbad hadn't left the hospital right away. Some time after they left the room, Shark heard her dialing numbers on her cell phone. The first number, she said a name that made his blood run cold.

"Goodwin? Is your partner there? ...Hi, Officer Racket. Your...your nephew is in the hospital. He's...I think it's anorexia. He's really skinny. It's like looking at a skeleton. Can you, I don't know, do something to get him out of that house? You'll see what you can do? Okay, thank you."

She dialed again, and this conversation was somewhat shorter. Shark was also taken aback by how cold her voice had suddenly become.

"I don't ever want to see you again. It's because of you your brother's life is in danger. I hope you're happy." After she hung up, Shark heard footsteps indicating that they were leaving.

After that, he was left alone. The room became dark, as did the sky outside. He heard the machines he was hooked up to continuing to go.

Besides Amy and Sinbad, Shark didn't get any other visitors. He expected that, though. It seemed about the time his parents were at work. Everyone else, he wasn't sure. At this point, he didn't know if he was supposed to care, either.

Several times, nurses had come in with plates of food. Each time, Shark refused to eat it. He intended to keep himself on schedule, no matter the situation. He didn't need to be here. Passing out at the track was a one time thing.

If only he could somehow convince the others of that.

* * *

I'm really hoping to figure out where exactly I'm going with this story soon.

-Emerald-Shadow-Knight


	8. Break

Lousy sleepless nights.

Disclaimer: Sims 3 is...not mine.

* * *

The next morning, Shark woke up from a sleep he didn't recall falling into. He heard the sound of a cart in the hallway, before it stopped next to his door. A nurse with short black hair came in, holding a small plate of food.

"Mister Racket? Um...Your uncle is sort of the one that chose your meals for you today. He wants to make sure you're getting all the nutrition you need." Shark looked over at the tray. It was the standard fare for breakfast: A piece of toast, a bowl of oatmeal, and a glass of orange juice. It looked disgusting to him.

"Send it back. I don't want it." Shark looked away, sighing in frustration. The nurse bit her lip, likely not knowing what to do in this situation.

"I...I can't send it back, Mister Racket. It's mandatory that you eat it. If you don't, they're, uhhh...They're going to put a feeding tube into you. And that's not really something you'd want."

"I don't care! I don't want to eat that crap! Get it away from me." No matter how much Shark insisted he wasn't hungry, the nurse told him he needed to eat. Determined to get her away from him, Shark snatched the tray and shoved the nasty oatmeal down his throat by the spoonful. The toast and orange juice quickly followed.

"There! Now leave me alone." Shark crossed his arms and laid back in the hospital bed. As soon as she was gone, he felt the tears come. Already the food seemed to form a heavy weight in his stomach.

Shark wasn't entirely sure if he were crying out of anger or frustration. He hated the feeling. He hated that hospital food making him fat. Already he could hear his sister's taunts ringing through his mind again.

He didn't want to be here. He wanted to run away and never come back. Anywhere was better than here.

...

Daytime television was awful. Shark never cared for the sappy soap operas and the bombastic talk shows. Looking out the window was more preferable. Even then, all Shark saw were people better-looking than him.

Trying not to look towards them, the boy instead directed his attention to the trees and other foliage. The bushes were bursting forth with lovely flowers, including lilies, roses, and many others. It was all so beautiful.

_A lot better-looking than me,_ Shark thought. The weather was bright and sunny, a direct contrast to how he felt mentally. His mind was nothing more than a storm cloud of anger, hatred, sadness, and so many other emotions.

He looked out the window, until he heard the nurse come in. This time, it was a slice of roast beef and carrots on the side, along with some chocolate pudding. It was standard hospital food, but it still made Shark cringe in disgust.

Shark plastered on a smile as he saw the meal set in front of him. Hoping a change of scenery would lift his spirits, he looked over at the nurse.

"Uhhh, hey, uh...Can I...?" The nurse looked up, confused. "Is it all right if I eat outside?"

...

The happy demeanor of the hospital courtyard did little to change Shark's worrying mentality. He poked at his carrots, grimacing at how mushy and gross they looked. Only a few small bites had been taken out of his roast beef.

A few of the other patients were wandering around the premises. None of them seemed to notice the frail-looking boy sitting at a table by himself. He didn't know what was keeping him from getting up and running off. It was tempting...

"There you are!" Shark's plans of escape were derailed when he heard Amy's voice nearby. He looked to see her and the redhead from the other day approaching him. "Your nurse said you were eating outside today."

Shark swallowed, before licking his surprisingly dry lips. "In a matter of speaking." He set his fork down and leaned his head onto his hand. "I don't want to be here. Mind helping me out there?"

Amy shook her head and shrugged. "Sorry. But that is why I'm here." She sat down next to him, while the redhead went off in the other direction. "We were talking with your Uncle Dudley about all this, and..." She was interrupted by a combination of shrieking, and her companion cackling madly. "Oh, now what's he doing...?"

Shark looked over for her, and saw something a boy his age likely never imagined of seeing. "He's...pissing on the rosebushes. You want me to get someone to make him stop?"

"No, that'll just encourage him. Now where was I..." While Sinbad was administering his own form of watering the plants, Amy brought up her plans for what was going to happen to Shark after he left the hospital.

...

Back in his room, Shark mulled over what Amy told him. She admitted that what they were going to do was a bit of a long shot. He responded that he didn't mind in the least.

From what he was told, Shark would end up living with his uncle after he was discharged. Uncle Dudley had saved up enough money to buy a new house, big enough for him, Shark, and any others that were willing to help.

Shark realized what this meant, and had mixed feelings about it. On one hand, he was going to have to live with his estranged uncle. On the other, he'd likely never have to see Lolly again.

Lolly. To know that her words were pushing him down a path of hunger and confusion angered him. He hadn't wanted her nasty insults to get to him, but they did.

Had he ruined his life? No, he couldn't have. He just went overboard in the beginning, that's all. Nothing wrong there. Everyone just needed to stop worrying about him. He was perfectly fine.

At least this way he didn't have to live with his sister anymore.

* * *

This update was a long time coming, I think.

-Emerald-Shadow-Knight


	9. Never Too Late

Disclaimer: I don't own Sims 3.

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The time had come for Shark to leave the hospital. He watched as his uncle brought in a fresh change of clothes for him.

"Here you are, bud. You can change in the bathroom, if you'd like." Without saying a word, Shark took hold of the clothing and slowly walked into said bathroom, away from prying eyes.

He looked at the gaudy shirt, which was in the color of a sunset. The shorts were too baggy, and would probably fall easily off his frame. Shark then saw a belt that would probably help with that particular issue.

It certainly wasn't anything he'd normally wear.

...

The sudden hit of outside air was almost too much to handle. Shark felt his nose run as he stumbled out the front of the hospital and into Dudley's truck.

"Easy there, bud. Just set your suitcase in the back." The boy quietly did as he was told. Even though the forecast stated temperature to be in the eighties today, he was shivering. He said nothing as he buckled himself in.

For the first time in a while, he was out in society again. At the same time, he felt trapped. It was as though several watchful eyes were stalking him now.

"Before we move into the new house, maybe we could stop by my old place. Figure it's early enough to whip you up some breakfast. It is getting late, but no matter. We'll say it's brunch." Shark chewed his lip and glared at the mention of food.

"Oh, I know. That ain't your favorite thing in the world right now. But trust me. It'll help in the end."

...

Dudley's house was far smaller than the mansion. Shark took note of this when he sat on the old worn couch in front of the TV. The smell of a fried egg wafted throughout the room.

Looking up at the mirror, Shark could see himself. Or rather, the distorted view of himself. He saw himself as somehow having gotten even heavier. No matter what exercise regimens or strict diets he followed, they seemed to have been proved ineffective.

"Here you are, bud." Dudley proudly presented the boy with an omelet that appeared to have been loaded with cheese and ham. "Think maybe you can get that finished before we head out?"

Glaring at the cooked monstrosity before him, Shark shrugged. He cut off a tiny piece as his uncle went into the other room. Holding his nose shut, Shark began chewing.

To his horror, there was a piece of tomato, and a bit of bacon. Whatever Dudley was thinking while he was cooking, it was an odd thought process.

Shark closed his eyes as he cut piece by piece, trying not to imagine the poison he was being subjected to. When the plate was empty, he threw it across the room and let it hit the wall. He then flopped forward so his face was hidden in the couch cushions. He began quietly sobbing.

"I hate you...I hate you...I hate you!" He had no idea who he was talking to. It could have been Dudley, Lolly, or even himself.

...

The new house didn't look much better than Dudley's old one. Though not anywhere near the swamp, it was still not quite luxury. Shark sat on his new bed, staring at the currently bare walls. Hopefully he could buy a poster or two to liven it up a bit.

"Oh! And one of your friends sent you a little something to cheer you up. It's on the dresser." After Dudley left, Shark looked to see that, indeed, a long box was sitting on the top. He dragged himself off the bed and took hold of it.

It didn't have any signature, but judging from the immaculate folding and wrapping, it could only have been from Amy. He sighed, feeling slightly guilty that he was going to have to destroy her hard work.

Many things were inside, mostly clothes. What was different about them was that they had to have been made by Amy herself. Nearly all of them were at least several sizes too big. At the least, they were for when he was at his original weight. All of them came in crazy colors.

At the bottom was something that was definitely too thick and lumpy to be an article of clothing. When Shark pulled it out, it looked back at him with big black button eyes.

Like the clothing it hid under, the bear was in all sorts of vibrant colors. In the pocket of its overalls was a letter that smelled slightly of tobacco and perfume. The boy took it out and read it:

_Shark:_

_I know you don't want this. But it's for the best. _

_We're worried about you. Yes, even Sinbad. He's a dick, but somewhere underneath all that he's got a heart. He doesn't know you very well, but he doesn't want you to die._

_If you're curious about what's going on with your old family: Lolly was expelled for getting in a fight with someone. Bill's nowhere to be found. Your grandparents and father are fighting about something...unpleasant, related to your mother. Let's leave it at that._

_The family's falling apart. It sounds like you got out of something very tricky._

_Please, get better._

_-Amy_

Shark dropped the letter onto the floor, then held the bear close. Even in his state of confusion and self-hatred, he had someone to talk to. The impact of what his life had become caused him to break into tears.

He didn't care if his uncle heard him. If anything, he'd even accept a hug from the man at this point.

...

That evening, Shark was sitting in the bathtub, mulling over his life. He could smell the almost overpowering scent of bacon from the other room. Looking down, he considered doing what most boys his age often did, if only as a means to vent.

In the end, he stopped, if only because he didn't want his uncle to walk in on him. The boy instead stepped out of the cooling bath water and wrapped his bony figure in a towel. He then shivered from the sudden temperature change.

"You ready to eat, bud?" Dudley's voice spoke through the crack in the door. Shark stood half-naked in the room, with his wet hair and water dripping off his skin.

"Almost. Just let me get some clothes put on."


End file.
